Verizon's first OnePlus 8 5G software update is all about the 5G connectivity
As great as OnePlus phones look from a hardware standpoint, their software is not always fine-tuned to perfection before hitting store shelves, often requiring multiple updates shortly after a commercial release to quash various bugs and improve system stability.
Fortunately, the company is generally very fast and willing to roll out these maintenance updates, at least as far as unlocked devices are concerned. Things are a little different when it comes to carrier-specific models, especially in markets like the US, where said carriers typically take a long time to optimize and approve every small tweak made to the software on one of their phones.
You can certainly imagine our surprise then when we spotted the official confirmation of the first update delivered over-the-air to Verizon's OnePlus 8 5G UW. This reasonably priced powerhouse only went on sale yesterday on the nation's largest wireless service provider, and believe it or not, that's also when Big Red posted the changelog of the handset's "System Update 1" on its support webpage.
As you can imagine, this is far from extensive. In fact, it merely includes two vague tweaks, one meant to improve the phone's 5G connectivity and the other aimed at making the "Premium visual voicemail message user experience" better.
Because very few people actually got the chance to use Verizon's OnePlus 8 5G with its launch software, we have no idea what was wrong with the "5G connectivity" that needed such a quick fix. But it's definitely nice to see that the carrier can do fast updates when it wants to and especially when its 5G Ultra Wideband network is on the line.
This is still not particularly widespread, mind you, and the blazing fast signal is still terrible at penetrating walls, trees, and even human hands, but did we mention how crazy fast the network is?
Besides, the non-Pro OnePlus 8 is a pretty impressive product even if you don't take its 5G UW support into consideration, fetching $799.99 (or $33.33 a month) in Polar Silver and Onyx Black paint jobs, with a super-premium design in tow, as well as a Snapdragon 865 processor, 8 gigs of memory, a 48 + 2 + 16MP triple rear-facing camera system, a beautiful 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, a fast charging 4,300mAh battery, and yes, even an IP68 water resistance rating.
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